Deepening Our Roots in Marlboro: The Jerome and Celia Bertin Reich Building & Residence Hall

A significant bequest from the estate of Celia Bertin Reich provided Marlboro Music with the impetus to embark on this transformational project  involving the construction of the Jerome & Celia Bertin Reich Building and a new residence hall. The Reich building houses chamber music rehearsal studios and a music library, offices, and common areas. The 18-room residence hall houses exceptional young musicians each summer.

Celia Bertin Reich and her husband, Jerome, shared a belief in the power of chamber music as a force that could bring people together.

A Design for Vermont

The architects for this project are the award-winning team of Joan Soranno and John Cook at HGA Design. The new facilities are nestled into the adjacent rolling hills so as to offer inspiration and views of rural Vermont from every angle. Elegant and refined in design, they have large windows and abundant natural light; energy efficient, geothermal heating and cooling systems; and minimal impact on the surrounding environment. With a green roof that can be enjoyed as an outdoor deck, the new design reflects the simple, country ethos of southern Vermont.

The project has been recognized with multiple prestigious architectural awards, including a 2023 National AIA Architecture Award and a Merit Award from ARCHITECT Magazine.

Strengthening the Marlboro Community

It was in 1950, just four years after Marlboro College began, that its founder Walter Hendricks invited Rudolf Serkin to present summer concerts on the campus to help raise funds for the college. Mr. Serkin was taken by the beauty and serenity of the property and the wonderful acoustics of its farm buildings. The next year, he and several colleagues incorporated the Marlboro School of Music, entering into a lease with Mr. Hendricks for seasonal use of the campus. As our original founding artists discovered, the beauty of the hillside setting and the wonderful acoustics of the farm buildings lend an air of serenity and deep connection to the property that Marlboro Music has called its home for the past seven decades.

We are very grateful to Jerome and Celia Bertin Reich, to Dunard Fund USA, and to the more than 100 individuals and foundations who contributed to the successful completion of this transformative project.